Gay Byrne agus laoch Chúil Aodha
Más maith leat cáineadh, pós. Más maith leat moladh, faigh bás.
Tugaim an seanfhocal sin chun cuimhne agus gach mac mathar is gach iníon athar ag líonadh na n-aerthonnta le laoithe molta don chraoltóir Gay Byrne atá caillte is ar shlí na fírinne.
It’s not surprising that there’s so many Irish seanfhocail about death. If you want criticism, marry. If you want praise, die.
I always regard ‘ar shlí na firinne’ as a bit ironic. Call me a cynic but years in the journalism trade/profession have conditioned me to think that my daily work is ‘ar shlí na firinne’ but I suppose that’s me projecting, as it were.
Ach tá scéal agam ina bhfuil ról lárnach ag Gay Byrne agus a chlár raidió agus ós rud é go bhfuil gach éinne ag faoin bhfear, ní miste liom é a lua.
Tá sé deacair a chreidiúint gur thárla seo breis is 30 bliain ó shin nuair a bhíos ag freastal ar an ollscoil. I was just one of many young men of twenty.
B’fhéidir nár luaigh mé cheana é ach táimse i gCór Chúil Aodha, an cór a bhunaigh Seán Ó Riada agus atá fé stiur Peadar, a mhac, le geall leis leath chéad bliain anois.
I mí Aibreán 1987 bhíomar páirteach i gcomóradh ag an Ceolaras Náisiúnta ar oidhreacht cheoil Uí Riada. Bhí oíche ann leis an gceolfhoireann nuair a bhí Elmer Bernstein, cumadóir cheoil do ‘ The Magnificent Seven’ agus ‘My Left Foot’, ag stiuradh Cheolfhoireann RTÉ agus iad seinnt ‘ Mise Éire’. Mar a thárla sé chuaigh an píosa ceoil sin amach le linn an Late Late Show, mura bhfuil dearúd orm.
Bhí an Cór ag canadh freisin sa Cheolaras agus bhíomar go leir gléasta inár gcultacha moncaí. Sara thánamar ar an ardán shéid Johnny Lehane, duine dár mbuíon, adharc seilge a bhí Eugie Johnny Eoin Ó Suilleabháin, ball sinsearach eile sa chór, tar éis a thabhairt leis.
Ba ghléas stairiúil amach is amach an adharc seilge seo. Dar le hEugie, b’é seo an adharc a bhíodh ag Ó Suilleabháin Béara agus é ag taisteal ó thuaidh go Liatroim tar éis Cath Chionn tSáile beagnach ceithre chéad bliain ó shin.
Bhíomar ag fánúint in ostán amuigh sna bruachbailte, is cuimhin liom. Agus maidin de na laethannta go rabhmar ann, bhí ana shuim ag na leaideanna óga bheith ag iarraidh ceol a bhaint as an adharc, á shéideadh ar chúl an tí. Ní fheadar cad a cheap na comharsain faoi seo – we weren’t too sure what the neighbours thought about this unusual morning greeting!
Maidin Dé Domhnaigh, tar éis dúinn bheith ag canadh ag an Aifreann sa Leas Ard Eaglais, chuamar go dtí tigh tabhairne iomráiteach don cheol, Tigh Hughes ar chúl na gCeithre Chúirteanna. Bheimís ag imeacht abhaile go Cúil Aodha i ndiaidh na coirme an oíche sin mar sin bhí gach rud pacáilte sa bhus. Everything was packed in preparation for our depature after the night’s event in the Concert Hall when we would head home.
Agus sinne ag ól agus ag amhránaíocht sa tabhairne, nár robáileadh an bus ar a rabhamar ag taisteal. Tógadh éadaí, ina measc pyjamas, bríste leathair agus, ar bharr gach olc, adharc seilge Eugie Johnny Eoin.
Tháinig an scéal faoi seo aniar aduaidh orainn. We were taken aback by the theft of our belongings but the loss of the horn was the most talked about consequence.
The next morning, having arrived back in Cúil Aodha, Eugie Johnny Eoin was in my father’s kitchen at home awaiting a call from Gay Byrne to discuss what happened and to make an appeal for the return of the historical artefact.
He was on our phone talking to Gay and motoring away when he was asked about the provenance of the horn. How old was it? Momentarily stumped, he answered that it was ancient. Was it valuable? “Priceless.” So was born the ‘ancient priceless horn’, courtesy of Gay Byrne and Eugie Johnny Eoin Ó Suilleabháin, who was as nice a man as you’d ever meet and the best company. Bhí aithne agam ar Gay ón dteilifís agus ba chomhluadar den scoth é agus a chuid aoíanna gach Aoine nó Satharn. (Táimse ag an aois gur cuimhin liom an Late Late Show bheith ar siúl ar an Satharn!)
My father, Dónal Ó Liatháin, also now gone from us, would write a song about the adventure in Dublin and the theft of the horn and sometimes the choir sings it. It’s a great song to recall one of the choir’s many remarkable adventures.
As the song goes, b’fhiú céad púnt bheith i dtiúin leis an Ancient Priceless Horn! It was worth a hundred pounds, a lot of money in the old currency, to be in tune with the historic instrument.
Seans go gcasfar an triúr - Gay, Eugie agus m’athair - ar a chéile sna Fláithis agus go gcanfar an amhrán siad cúpla uair le linn na sioraíochta
Ní bheidh a leithéidí ann arís. That’s often said at funerals. We won’t see their likes again, much as we might hope we will. Is é an cladhaire an bás a thagann, gan aon amhras. Death is a silent thief. Sa reilig tá stór againn go léir i dtaisce.